Liam's First Food

Liam turned 5 months old on Saturday!  Who gave him permission to do that?!?



Just before Liam turned 4 months old, he began to show an interest in eating.  His interest progressed to the point where his eyes would track our utensils, then he began reaching for them.  He was definitely ready to start!

Now, let's be honest.  Even though Liam has special needs, he is doing great.  He is also the 4th baby.  Which means he has had a sip of soup broth, a dab of mashed potatoes, and little taste of whipped cream.  We just hadn't made it to the official first solid feeding yet.

Every doctor will tell you something different.  Some say to start at 4 months, some say not until after 6 months, the AAP recommends around 6 months, but most seem to give the 4-6 month range. Every baby is different, and as a mom, you know when your child is ready.  I chose to start somewhere in the middle of that range, and his pediatrician agreed that he was ready, so we began on the day he turned 5 months old. 

I put Liam in his high chair, put on his bib, and prepared his cereal. I made all of Lily's baby food, and I will do the same for Liam, but I do start with organic baby cereal. Dylan, Lexie, and Grant stood nearby to see his reaction.




 


Our little guy was thrilled!  I can honestly say that he did the best at the first feeding out of all of my kids.  He willingly opened his mouth, ate properly off the spoon, and swallowed most of his food. 












Liam eagerly ate every bite, and finished the entire bowl.  I'm certain he could have eaten more, but I didn't want to give him too much on the first day.  He happily ate the remnants off his bib before I could clean him up!





Right now, it's all about teaching Liam how to eat off a spoon and introducing different flavors and textures. We are sticking to one solid feeding a day.   I plan to give the same food for 3 days before moving on to a new one, so I can keep track of any reactions. That's how I fed Dylan, Lexie, and Lily, and it worked perfectly.

Now it's time to make his baby food.  I have a bag of sweet potatoes ready to be cooked and pureed.  I can't believe it's time to do this already!  He is growing up so quickly!

Yum Yum

Today was a big day for Lily! She tried solids for the very first time!

Lily had been showing all the signs of being ready over the past week. She seemed genuinely interested in food. She began to watch me eat, and reach for my cup and utensils while I was eating. She has been gaining weight steadily, and is able to sit in her highchair. I had originally planned to start her after her 4 month check-up on Thursday, after I got the go ahead from the pediatrician, but my instinct told me she was ready.

I had planned on starting her on avocado, but I decided on rice cereal instead. Once she was strapped in, it was go time!



She immediately slurped it off the spoon and swallowed. She was off to a great start! And then the taste hit her.




I tried another spoonful. Once again, she ate and swallowed, and then reacted to the taste!





Only one word can describe her reaction to solids. Horrified.



I don't blame her. I tried what I was feeding her. And, frankly? It sucked.

At this point, it's all about teaching her how to eat solids. She will still be exclusively breastfed, but I'm going to start making her baby food, and offering a few spoonfuls once a day. She is eating off the spoon well, and not gagging, so I think we may try something with more taste!

I hope she reacts better the next time. Because??? I've never seen a baby so relieved to get her face wiped off!